I'm a whole lot excited...

the last time I saw this man

~the love of my life~

our heads were in the clouds

literally and figuratively

~

we were on what felt like the edge of the world

~pikes peak~

after a death.could.happen.at.any.moment.19.mile.drive to the top

on the fourth of july

~~

he's coming home

on thursday

and

I can't wait

~~

I kind of feel like a teenager

knowing that my weekend will be filled with hand holding

and

making out in the backseat of the car

{okay fine...maybe a little more than that but you know what I mean}

~~

all I know for sure

is that I don't want to let him out of my sight

and

I want to eat at our favorite restaurant while we sit side by side

and

I want a back rub

{okay fine...maybe a little more than that but you know what I mean}

~~

love is good

isn't it

?

watch where you walk...

there are so many stones along the way

~~

~the little ones that find their way into your shoes and are irritating~

~the ones you mindlessly trip over~

~the ones that you step on just right that force your foot to slide forward

and

jerk your body backwards~

~the ones you kick out of the way while your focus is on the ground

because your mind is so full you're unable to keep your head upright~

~the ones so large and important

that they act as a path to move you forward as you step on them~

~the ones so tiny that when there are hundreds of them together

they feel as warm as beach sand in your hand~

and

what about the ones that are smooth

and

just plain feel good when you touch them

and

end up going home with you after a ride in your pocket

?

I think

if you think about it

stones are just like the people we come across everyday

and

the ones that feel the best

and

are warm

and

guide us on the path of life

are

the ones we keep

and

call

our friends

*

because I can...

and

mostly because you all make me feel like I can

I'm sharing more photos from the senior photo shoot

I did a week and a half ago

this doll and her mom will be here

wednesday evening for their consultation

and

as I finish the last of my pre-editing

I'm

a little giddy

a little nervous

a little excited

and

have my fingers crossed that I captured what they were looking for

*

nothing tying me down...

I have no plans this weekend

~~

I might go see "away we go" at the movie theatre

~

I want to take a road trip tomorrow just to take pictures

but

I'll probably end up out at the cottage cleaning

~

maxwell street day sales are happening downtown

but

I don't really need anything so this would truly be a people watching adventure

~

I have photos to edit for two consultations next week

but

those can wait until sunday night

~

I changed the sheets on the bed yesterday

so that's already done

~

I could go get a pedicure

but

I kind of like painting my own toes while I can still bend over to do it

~

if it stays cloudy and cool outside

I might end up in the studio making my little purse journals to give away

~

I guess

I'll start by taking a shower

and

then just let the day unfold before me

and

if anything amazing happens

you'll be the first to know

*

game day...game face...

this is my nephew

~

my hubby calls him

T

and

yesterday was day 2 of his league playoffs

in which I joined my sister and her family to cheer him on

~~~~~

who attacks a new puppy with love and kisses at the ball field

?

the sisters of the ball players

that's who

{the one in the white t-shirt is my sweet niece}

baseball players are moving targets and trying to get clear shots of my nephew

while he was actually playing

{with a huge wire fence in front to me}

was not easy

but

I did manage to catch him during the warm-up

and

of course sneaking into the dugout was pretty easy

T

is the catcher for his team and I couldn't help but shoot him getting his gear on and off

in between innings

and

being hugely impressed with how fast he could do this

there were times you could feel a bit of seriousness coming from the field or the dugout

and

somehow I caught it

on the kid who never stops smiling

on this second day of play

they won their first game

and

a few hours later in another elimination round

they lost

but

what an amazing season these boys had to even make it this far

and

what a great day this aunt had

watching

cheering

shooting

and

remembering how it was just yesterday that her own kids were this little

and

how quickly they grew because she blinked

*

{and now for a little food love...you know where to go}

but of course...

you didn't think I'd do a senior photo shoot and forget a jumping photo did you

?

this is her best friend

who came along on the shoot to help if I needed a someone to hold my sun shield and

she was a doll

too

who I found out half way into our session

happens to be the daughter of a girl I graduated from high school with

~small world~

teenagers can be great and this one was perfect...

I had a senior photo shoot last week with this doll

and

she was amazing

a complete natural

doing anything I suggested without a complaint

the morning of the shoot I was a bit nervous

~

I actually felt butterflies fluttering in my stomach

as I was traveling to her little town 20 miles north of me

wondering if I would find

the amazing spots that dance in my head for shoots

but rarely exist

not only did I find alleys and graffiti and textured walls and painted doors

I also found an amazing city park

in one of the back alleys we were in

can you believe this

?

an old school desk just sitting there calling my name

and

I actually laughed out loud while looking up at the skies

and

mouthed

thank you

as we were moving in for this next shot

I said

"is that a tattoo I see"

and

she sheepishly said

"yes"

and

I told her we were going to highlight it

not hide it for this shot

so that someday

she'd be able to look back and love and laugh and lap up all that she was

at

18

I still have lots of editing to do

as

I continue to play with tones and colors

and

I want to add some textures to a few of the 256 photos I took

but

for now

here's my sneak peek that I've been so anxious to share with all of you

*

{skin cancer update over here}